John Kerr with some of the bags from his properties in Cross Street, Ryde.
CONFUSION over the new waste collections has led to piles of rubbish building up in Island streets and some residents have still not received their wheelie bins.
County Hall has been bombarded with questions from confused residents. The number of calls about waste leapt from 50 to 3,000 a day after the new system was introduced two weeks ago.
After collection dates were changed in several areas, some residents put their rubbish out on the wrong day and missed their new pick-up date. Posts on the Isle of Wight Council’s Facebook page reveal piles of black bags have subsequently been left in some streets for more than a week.
The authority has also admitted some people are still waiting for their wheelie bins and food caddies — although this amounts to just one per cent of properties — but has pledged to deliver the remaining recycling containers as soon as possible.
Landlord John Kerr, who owns a block of 29 flats at Cross Street, Ryde, said he had to pick up his own clear sacks, rather than wheelie bins, for his tenants’ recyclable items.
"Because we didn’t have any clear sacks in time for the first recycling collection, everyone just put their rubbish in black bags as usual. But they weren’t picked up last week because it was a recycling week, so now we have this huge pile of black bags," he said.
"And it’s not just us — I’ve seen bags of rubbish everywhere, especially in Ryde."
There have also been complaints about Island Waste lorries causing traffic delays by travelling slowly, particularly between Cowes and Newport, and this route will now be rescheduled to avoid the morning rush hour.
Despite these initial problems though, the council says the new system is working well and will save £1 million over the next three years.
Cabinet member for the environment, Cllr Edward Giles said: "Despite a number of teething problems, it appears it has been embraced by the majority of residents and there has already been a marked increase in recycling and food waste being processed.
"I am very confident landfill figures will be improved within the next few months."
Reporter: emilyp@iwcpmail.co.uk